China welcomes and appreciates South Africa's decision of termination on its countervailing investigations into China-made stainless steel sinks, said Yao Jian, spokesman of China's Ministry of Commerce.

The International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC) announced that decision on Jan. 30, 2009.

In a statement published on the Ministry's website on Feb. 9, Yao disclosed that the case was property resolved after the Chinese ministry and South African investigation agency made consultations and urged the industries to communicate with each other.

Yao noted that the economic and trade relations between China and South Africa, China's major trade partner in Africa, had maintained robust development in recent years. In 2008, the bilateral trade reached 17.8 billion USD. China has set up 154 enterprises in South Africa. China's direct investment in non-financial sectors in South Africa has exceeded 500 million USD.

Yao stressed that countries around the world should keep wary against trade protectionism and avoid the abuse of trade remedy measures against the backdrop of world economic downturn. Problems in the bilateral trade should be addressed through consultations and dialogues between the industries of the two countries.

South Africa launched the anti-dumping and countervailing investigations on July 25, 2008 into imports of stainless steel sinks from China. It was the first countervailing probe into Chinese products among developing countries. On Oct. 17, 2008, Franke, the plaintiff of the case, withdrew its application for countervailing investigations.

By People's Daily Online